Our Energy & Climate Change blog is led by:
Heather Haydock
Practice Director
With over 20 years’ experience in climate change policy support, Heather has spearheaded methodologies and managed projects that are critical to the development of both UK and European environmental policy.
Blog » Energy & Climate Change
Energy & Climate Change
Carbon reporting – is assurance necessary?
With mandatory carbon reporting legislation due to come into force later this year, it won’t be long before listed businesses are required to include greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions data in their annual reports.Cutting demand is the blind spot in Britain's great energy debate
There is a lively debate about Britain's energy future. In the last months we've seen controversial discussions about fracking, the potential support for nuclear power and the impact which environmental policies have on energy bills. It is striking that the energy debate is dominated by supply-side issues. Do we build more offshore windfarms or do we invest in shale gas? Should we provide support for a new nuclear power plant at Hinkley Point? What is the cost of hitting the EU targets for renewables? Do energy companies make too much profit?MRV of NAMAs – making a simple concept sound complicated
Repeat after me – “MRV and NAMAs are not new concepts”. Depending on how close you are to the international climate negotiations, you may be scratching your head over what I’m talking about or rolling your eyes in familiarity. First, let’s unpack the acronyms: MRV is measurement, reporting and verification; and NAMAs are nationally appropriate mitigation actions. Both concepts are being discussed within the international climate negotiations and if I had a pound/euro/dollar/peso for every time I heard MRV and NAMAs being described as new concepts…..A head start on mandatory reporting
The countdown has begun for all quoted businesses listed on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange following the government’s announcement in July that they will have to report their levels of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from April next year.Mandatory GHG reporting for FTSE firms = Transparency + Progress
On Wednesday the UK Government announced the outcome of its consultation on greenhouse gas company reporting. They announced that from the start of the next financial year, April 2013, all businesses listed on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange will have to report their levels of greenhouse gas emissions.What happens when you Google renewables?
Back in 2007 Larry Page, CEO and co-founder of Google, declared that the company would get involved directly in energy research, with the ambitious aim to wean the US off fossil fuels. Moreover, Google believed they could make renewable energy cheaper than coal. However, the internet giant recently announced that it was abandoning this project despite having invested $915 million in clean energy projects to date. That is a lot of money, even for Google.Small emitters and hospitals: a fairer deal on carbon?
The EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) has been widely criticised for imposing an excessive administrative cost on small emitters, and for the inclusion of hospitals. The move into Phase III of the EU ETS, which will run from 2013 – 2020, provided Member States with an opportunity to remedy the situation. Indeed, if they could come up with an alternative mechanism to encourage small emitters and hospitals to reduce emissions, the European Commission (EC) would allow those organisations to drop out of the EU ETS for Phase III.Carbon leakage: has Europe scored an own goal?
Climate policy increasingly involves putting a price on environmental impacts. This can be done by creating a market through politically influenced targets or by estimating the monetary cost of the damage which companies cause to the environment. A pioneering example is the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), which has created a market for carbon, targeting the big emitters in Europe. In principle it is quite simple, the European Commission supplies an amount of carbon credits which politicians agree is Europe’s share of what the global skies can tolerate, and companies buy them up. The more companies emit, the more demand there is for the credits and so the carbon price rises. The idea is that as the carbon price rises, big emitters start thinking about new technologies to reduce emissions to avoid paying the carbon price. Sounds OK?Why you should understand your GHG emissions
Over the past year we have all watched the build-up to the Government’s decision on mandatory company reporting of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and its implications for businesses. With the Climate Change Act requiring the Government to introduce mandatory reporting for businesses by 6 April 2012, or explain why they have not, we have been waiting with bated breath for the outcome of the consultation held last summer.CRC Simplification: Admin costs down, carbon costs up?
The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has released its long awaited consultation on the simplification of CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme (CRC). They have naturally placed considerable emphasis on proposals for administrative savings to address the biggest criticism of the scheme – its complexity. But will these meet George Osborne’s requirement for “very significant” savings that will prevent the scheme being scrapped altogether?
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Email: enquiry@ricardo-aea.com